ExPatriatePen wrote:Speaking of Beers for a hot day, what is LGP's preference?

I love saisons in the summer. Pretty much the only time I drink them, honestly, because I typically go for the hops. Got a new favorite as of a few weeks ago: Prairie Artisan Ale's Prairie Hop from Oklahoma. They primarily brew saisons and they're all fantastic, so you should hit them up if you get the chance.

Other summer beer styles I like are blondes, lagers, pils, and cream ales. Some good cream ales are Sixpoint's Sweet Action and Anderson Valley's Summer Solstice. I'm not a wheat fan, but wheats and hefeweizens are pretty big in the summer, too.

Do you know Perennial Artisan Ales? I had the Aria saison on draft a couple months ago and House of 1000 Beers here in Pittsburgh has a couple bottles now. Not cheap, so I'm curious if you've got any input. Specifically I think they have the Saison De Lis that I would like to try.

Well, I'm headed back to Oklahoma on Sunday so I'll have to look them up. Thanks.

ExPatriatePen wrote:Speaking of Beers for a hot day, what is LGP's preference?

I love saisons in the summer. Pretty much the only time I drink them, honestly, because I typically go for the hops. Got a new favorite as of a few weeks ago: Prairie Artisan Ale's Prairie Hop from Oklahoma. They primarily brew saisons and they're all fantastic, so you should hit them up if you get the chance.

Other summer beer styles I like are blondes, lagers, pils, and cream ales. Some good cream ales are Sixpoint's Sweet Action and Anderson Valley's Summer Solstice. I'm not a wheat fan, but wheats and hefeweizens are pretty big in the summer, too.

Do you know Perennial Artisan Ales? I had the Aria saison on draft a couple months ago and House of 1000 Beers here in Pittsburgh has a couple bottles now. Not cheap, so I'm curious if you've got any input. Specifically I think they have the Saison De Lis that I would like to try.

I haven't had anything from Perennial, yet. I may need to go visit some friends up in the Lou and check it out.

shafnutz05 wrote:I went to an Irish pub in Lancaster that had Penn Marzen on special ($2 off bottles). I forgot how smooth this beer is.

I really like their Marzen. What is the difference between Penns Marzen and Octoberfest?

I need to try Stones IPA, have you had their Levitation Ale?

Modern day, there is pretty much no difference between Marzens and Oktoberfest beers. The names come from brewing in Germany before artificial refrigeration. The last batch of beer would be brewed in March but cellared for the fall. Because of that, it was brewed with a higher alcohol content so it would last. The recipe would be basically identical but the Marzen would be consumed at the time of brewing, the Oktoberfest would be tapped in the fall to kick off brewing time.

Stone IPA is amazing. Very much a west coast IPA without a rediculous high abv. Levitation is an awesome session beer for hop heads. At around 4.4 abv, it is rich and hoppy. Love that beer.

columbia wrote:I've been drinking a pecan nut brown ale from Alabama....it goes down too smoothly, so I need to watch it sometimes.

What is the brewery out of curiosity? Lazy Magnolia is the only large Alabama brewery I'm familiar with and we still don't get their stuff in Pa. Abita, out of Louisiana does a pecan nut brown that is released in the winter but I found it much too sweet.

As far as summer beers go, I like the occasional wit or saison, but my go to is a good pils or light lager. Pilsner Urquell is awesome as others have mentioned but I also really like Victory's Prima Pils. If I can find it, I drink Scrimshaw Pils from North Coast Brewing. It's my favorite pilsner.

For a light lager, Blue Point toasted lager is awesome, as is Brooklyn Lager. My go to for a summer lager is Skipping Stone from Uinta. Awesome. I also like Blue Point summer ale and Anderson valley summer solstice.

Stuff like Red Stripe also goes down easy in the summer.

Another style that isnt super common but makes me happy, is the white IPA. Heavy Seas riptide is an awesome one, as well as white hatter from New Holland. It's like a wit with a hoppy finish.

columbia wrote:I've been drinking a pecan nut brown ale from Alabama....it goes down too smoothly, so I need to watch it sometimes.

What is the brewery out of curiosity? Lazy Magnolia is the only large Alabama brewery I'm familiar with and we still don't get their stuff in Pa. Abita, out of Louisiana does a pecan nut brown that is released in the winter but I found it much too sweet.

I am definitely going to this place (The Avenue Pub) when I am in New Orleans this fall. Great read on "why their draft tastes better" and something to keep in mind with many establishments. I have really moved away from drinking draft beers at anywhere that I expect they are lax with tap line cleaning. For most of the stuff that I'm into, a proper bottle is going to be the best experience. Drafts are definitely less of a commitment and more affordable but only really worth it somewhere that takes their beer serving seriously.

Spoiler:

What mix of gas is in my beer and why should I care?

Most bars in New Orleans use straight CO2 to push their drafts. This works great if you are selling large quantities of only one or two beers. Any more than that and the CO2 will over carbonate the kegs and you end of with a product that’s all foam and no liquid. I’m sure you’ve seen bartenders have to pour two or three glasses of foam before they get a servable product.

To get around this some bars use the “Guinness” gas mix on all their beers. Its works great for Guinness and some stouts but ales lagers, pilsners and ciders turn out flat. Of course that’s great for the bar’s profit margin because there is no waste in the form of the foam they pour off. Its not the greatest way to taste a draft beer though. We use a high tech system that mixes CO2 and Nitrogen for each type of beer. That way ales taste the way they are supposed to, lagers taste the way they are supposed to, ciders aren’t flat and Guinness and other stouts turn out perfect each time. Its an expensive system and only three bars in the city have it but it makes ALL the difference in the product you taste in that pint glass.

The beer is fresh…but how clean are those lines the beer ran through to get to your pint glass?

Many state’s health departments inspect beer lines and test the bacteria and pH level of the beer that is poured through draft lines. Not so in Louisiana; the beer distributors are responsible for cleaning and maintaining the lines in this state. Some distributors are rock stars about this (Glazer’s, for example)….others aren’t (we wont name names).

We replaced all our lines in Feb 2010 and maintain a 2 week cleaning schedule. We do not allow the distributors to clean our lines. We have our own equipment and clean them ourselves. Not every bar does this though….in fact most do not. Ask a bartender in almost any other bar in the city when the last time a line for a particular beer was cleaned and see if they can tell you. They probably can’t. That same bartender can probably tell you which companies are neglectful. I wont mention names but it’s a common problem that much of the industry is aware of.

How far did the beer have to travel from the keg to get to my glass?

Many bars, including some that are VERY well known for their beer selections, have kegs that are located 30 feet or more from the taps they are poured though. That means the beer you are drinking hasn’t been sitting in the keg prior to pouring but in a clear plastic line that may or may not be clean (the clear plastic is a problem because light is one of the major enemies of good beer).

Our kegs are located directly behind the taps you see on the wall…less than a foot from your glass! Order a beer that is poured less frequently in one of those bars with thirty foot lines and you are probably drinking a beer that’s been in that thirty foot line for days. The beer probably looks the same because that bar is using glycol to keep their lines cool and pushing the beer with too much nitrogen to keep the foam under control. It doesn’t taste the same though!

What kind of glassware are you drinking your beer in?

Domestic drafts are designed to be stored and served in ice cold conditions. A frosted mug makes a MHL or Budweiser taste and feel refreshing. Domestic craft beer, European beers, and micro brews shouldn’t be served in cold glassware. Cold will make an IPA taste bitter and mask the flavors of a good handcrafted beer like NOLA brown brew! Ideally you would want to store some beers, like IPAs, at cellar temperature…the way you do a good bottle of red wine but for draft that would require expensive dual cooling systems. If you love IPAs served at the warmer temperature they were designed to be served at, then order a bottle or let your glass warm a bit before drinking it!

Most of this probably doesn’t matter if you are consistently ordering Coors Light draft. We love draft beer though, and if you try some of the specialty beers….poured the right way….we think you will see the difference! Next time you are out, start out at one of those uptown college bars that are known for their beer and order a draft. Then come to our bar. You will taste a difference!

Summer to me says wheat beers and lagers. Penn Weizen, Kaiser, and Pilsner are good examples, as is Victory Prima Pils. Anchor Summer and Steam also hit the spot. A good Belgian Wit like Hoegaarden is also great on a hot day. I recently bought a four-pack from Giant Eagle of a Belgian wit that came in 16 oz. cans, and I thought it was a very decent (and not too expensive) representation of the style. Unfortunately, I’m trying and failing to remember its name. Looking at Google, it might have been Blanche De Bruxelles.

Eismann wrote:Interested what you think of the Curmudgeon. I like old ales (Old Peculier is am all time fave) but haven't tried that.

Really, really good. I'm not very familiar with the style, but lots of caramel malts and brown sugar without being overly sweet. What I loved about the beer was the oak flavor coming through. You get a bit of the bourbon alcohol 'feel' too. So good. It kept getting a bit more complex as it warmed...which I love. If this is representative of the style, I'll have to keep my eyes open for different brewers...but Founders basically rocks everything they do.

Can't recommend it more. I'll have to track this down when the weather turns cooler...or I'll just keep the AC set to 67 degrees and pick up more tomorrow